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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celtavian" data-source="post: 6422948" data-attributes="member: 5834">It pretty simple to answer the question. Can a DM play without players? Nope. Can a player do anything without a DM? Nope. That's why both have authorial/narrative power. Nothing happens in the world or story unless both are participating. Both have their roles. A DM is expected to have a prepared adventure in an agreed upon setting. The players are expected to construct a character using the rules they agree on including background information, personality, and the like. Then the group plays working in a cooperative fashion that is a combination story and game. It seems like these arguments have very little to do with the game system and more to do with the individuals involved. I know some DMs don't know what to do if the players go off script, thus they discourage the behavior. Some DMs handle the players going off script fine, turning the foray into other areas into fun. It depends entirely on the group.As far as discussions of authorship are concerned, books are always scripted. There is no wandering off the script in a book. So saying the players lack authorial or narrative power within the framework of the story is a false supposition. Characters drive the story. They have no less power than any other character in a plotted story that is limited to dealing with the situations they are thrust into. That is the nature of story telling.What people seem to be debating is the difference between a virtual world and a plot driven adventure. In a virtual world you can go where you like. All the DM provides is a setting with several different options much like MMORPGs provide. The players progress through it as they wish choosing which area to explore or which quests to do. Whereas D&D builds adventures with a combination of linear storytelling and open world exploration, sometimes both in the same adventure. A DM could try to build something more along the lines of a virtual world allowing players to wander around as they like throwing whatever random encounter their way they find while doing so. Some players might thrive in this type of environment. Others prefer a linear story that leads them along a grand quest or through a dungeon with a beginning and end. It's up to the group to build the experience they like together. The game is capable of being played both ways. I don't see the need for an intense debate for something the game supports that is dependent upon individuals tastes, time constraints, and capabilities of the group. I know I prefer scripted stories because they seem more fun to me. I work in elements my characters build into their backgrounds. I definitely like to empower my players to engage in impactful roleplaying that will affect the course of the campaign. I've never found an edition of D&D that did not allow me to do what I enjoy doing. Not much gets done in D&D unless both the players and DM are engaged in the game, both creating a compelling cooperative narrative that entertains and engages. I've said my piece. I'm out.</blockquote>

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